Chiluba put to rest

Zambia puts to rest former president
By Chris Habeenzu

Born in 1943 and having come from a humble background and rose to the highest position of the land was no more on June 18 2011.
Dr. Chiluba mostly known for his eloquence and charismatic has also been described a pioneer of democracy in Zambian politics.
Little did the family nor the country at large expect him to pass on did he just die much to the surprise of Zambians.
During the country's one party state Dr. Chiluba rose to the challenge when almost every Zambian feared to come out and challenge the country's first republican president Dr. Kenneth Kaunda popularly known as KK wamuyaya.
No one ever thought to take up the risk to challenge KK due to his grip on the security agencies. But to the surprise of many a movement that met at the popular Garden House Motel formed an organization that came up with the Movement for Multiparty Democracy-MMD in 1990.
Some think tanks in the name of Dipak Patel, Arthur Wina, his brother Sikota Wina, Princess Nakatindi Wina only to mention but a few met to come up with the MMD that was to challenge a the United National Independence Party-UNIP which was in power for twenty Seven years.Immediately the organization was registered as a political party and decided to challenge UNIP under KK.
With FTJ at the helm of this new political party Dr. Kaunda was forced to cut his term of office short to accommodate an election in 1991.
A wind of change had already started sweeping through the nation by the time Zambia's founding president set an election date.
With a common slogan, 'The Hour Has Come,' UNIP fanatics could not withstand the heat that came with the Zambian desire to call for change.
In 1991 in October Zambia went for an election that saw the MMD win it with a land slid.
Zambia's Eastern Province was the only part of the country that remained with the former ruling party.
In 1996 Zambia again went for another election but before an election date the countrymade amendments to its constitution that saw the first republican president Dr. Kenneth Kaunda barred from contesting the move that saw UNIP boycotting the entire election.
Zambia was again on the spot when the late Dr. Chiluba advocated for a third term the call that was vehemently rejected by Zambians.
Dr. Chiluba during this period saw a number of what he thought were his close allies satyed far away from him.
This forced the second Zambian president to pick on late Levy Mwanawasa much to the disappointment of now the PF leader Michael Sata.
Mwanawasa contest the 2001 election against the main opposition that time United Party for National Development-UPND led by the late Anderson Mazoka.
The late Mazoka claimed tat he won the 2001 election and sought the court's intervention but to no avail.

Mazoka used to be the chief executive officer of former Anglo- American Corporation, one of the world's biggest mining companies in Zambia, before he joined politics in 2001.

He formed the UPND after his bid to join the ruling party Movement for Multiparty Democracy was rejected.

He later contested the presidential elections in 2001 under the UPND and lost narrowly to Mwanawasa.

The late Mazoka could however not concede defeat thus sought courts intervention which could not help as it nullified his bid to nullify the outcome.

With only a few months in office late President Mwanawasa stripped of Dr. Chiluba;s imunity to pave way for an investigation into what he alleged misuse of public resources.

Dr. Chiluba after the removal of his immunity coupled with his heart condition trekked from home to the courts and to hospital in South Africa.

The death of Dr. Mwanawasa and the assuming of office of President Rupiah Banda saw the acquittal of Dr. Chiluba.

Zambia this goes to the polls and the ruling MMD depended to Dr. Chiluba's political exeprience to assist them win this year's election but with his death all the plans will have to re-planned.

Dr. Chiluba was put to rest on June 27 2011 at the Embassy park next to President Mwanawasa.